Report: $8.8 million in taxpayer-funded bonuses at seven accused VA facilities since 2011

posted at 12:41 pm on May 23, 2014 by Guy Benson

Open the Books — a good government and transparency-minded watchdog organization — does exactly what their name implies, and discovers that taxpayers showered officials at seven embattled VA locations with nearly $9 million in bonus pay between 2011 and 2013:

Now, at least seven VA centers are being investigated for “secret” waiting lists. Here are the bonuses into these troubled facilities (2011-2013):

Here’s the report itself. The list of facilities now under investigation has ballooned to 26 and counting, so these estimates likely do little more than scratch the surface. And they only span two years. Remember, bonuses aren’t a mere sideshow in this scandal, as several media outlets have reported that some of the VA administrators who cooked the books on wait times were motivated by avarice. Their maneuvers were, in part, a job- and bonus-protection scheme — which is why Senate Democrats’ endorsement of inaction, as Ed put it earlier, is so galling. Marco Rubio’s bill would have empowered the “mad as hell” VA secretary with greater leeway to fire bureaucrats who intentionally skirt rules and game the system to conceal their failures. The legislation sailed through the House earlier this week in a lopsided, bipartisan 390-33 vote. Harry Reid and company can’t be bothered to even take it up. Here’s Rubio tangling with Senate Veterans Affairs Committee chairman Bernie Sanders over the issue, via Noah Rothman (click image to watch):

“I don’t’ think that any of us want to go home for the Memorial Day recess and when we’re asked ‘What are you doing on this issue,’ our answer is, ‘Well, in about 15 days we’re going to have a hearing,” Rubio concluded.

DEMOCRATS DRIP, DRIP, DRIP: Yesterday Kentucky U.S. Senate candidate Alison Lundergan Grimes called for Shinseki’s resignation, saying in a statement: “We owe a solemn obligation to our veterans, and our government defaulted on that contract. I don’t see how that breach of trust with our veterans can be repaired if the current leadership stays in place.” So did Republican-turned-Democrat Charlie Crist, a candidate for governor of Florida: “While we don’t know precisely what happened here, we do know that there must be accountability and confidence in leadership in order to get to the truth and provide veterans the medical care they’ve earned and deserve. That confidence is gone. I think it would be best if the Secretary stepped down and allowed others to get the VA fixed once and for all.”

Calderone also notes that Grimes won’t give a straightforward answer to a basic question on Obamacare, prompting Rick Klein to marvel at how Democratic candidates continue to flub their answers. I’ll leave you with this CNN clip, which was flagged by my Townhall colleague Greg Hengler. Over to you, VA whistleblower:

Gov’t employees, who live good at the taxpayers’ expense, and who Never produce a profit, should NEVER get bonuses, ever!

Plus, Pelosi said “we have to pass obama’care’ to find out what’s in it”, all 2000+ pages of it, but yesterday the socialist senator stopped the “firing the inept VA thugs” because he didn’t have time to read 2 1/2 pages.

And they only span two years. Remember, bonuses aren’t a mere sideshow in this scandal, as several media outlets have reported that some of the VA administrators who cooked the books on wait times were motivated by avarice. Their maneuvers were, in part, a job- and bonus-protection scheme

Theft via fraud. FBI needs to investigate, DOJ needs to prosecute. Will either happen? Not with this regime, but in general, the federal statute of limitations is five years, so a future administration could prosecute.

Hmmm. Notice something unusual, the place that received the highest amount of bonuses was in Cook county, IL, which happens to be the county that Chicago is in. Then ask yourself, who lives in Chicago? obama.

“… Meticulous attention should be paid to the special relationships and obligations of public servants to the public itself and to the government. All Government employees should realize that the process of collective bargaining, as usually understood, cannot be transplanted into the public service. It has its distinct and insurmountable limitations … The very nature and purposes of Government make it impossible for … officials … to bind the employer … The employer is the whole people, who speak by means of laws enacted by their representatives …

“Particularly, I want to emphasize my conviction that militant tactics have no place in the functions of any organization of government employees. Upon employees in the federal service rests the obligation to serve the whole people … This obligation is paramount … A strike of public employees manifests nothing less than an intent … to prevent or obstruct … Government … Such action, looking toward the paralysis of Government … is unthinkable and intolerable.”

FDR – A letter to the National Federation of Federal Employees in 1937

I’m thinking more and more with all this money being printed and thrown around like confetti that maybe it’s time to go off the grid and become totally self-sufficient so that the inevitable crash doesn’t take me and my family down. Better to live like a pauper than be thrown into the gutter.

My question is: why is the government awarding bonuses to any federal employees? Whenever I worked for a private company that was underperforming or losing money, bonuses were not awarded.

There was a time when government employees at any level were paid less than their counterparts in private industry but had great benefits. Now they make more than they could in private industry but still have great benefits.

If I’m a GOP candidate for the U.S. senate running against a Dem incumbent, I’d already have an ad up crucifying my Dem opponent over this AND promising to do whatever it takes to gut the federal bonus system. Are members of the armed services and other law-enforcement agencies eligible for bonuses? Bonuses are supposedly an incentive to retain good people. Yes, they get manipulated in the private sector, but when uncovered, wrongdoers are fired and bonuses are clawed back to the extend the money is still available.

How many times in the past several years have we seen reports of out-of-control agencies running over ordinary citizens and, by the way, the particular agency has been handing out bonuses like they’re candy.

Obama’s White House doctor should be fired and HE should have to get all his medical care from the VA.

ConstantineXI on May 23, 2014 at 12:58 PM

Actually, most White House doctors have been active-duty military officers. So we wouldn’t “fire” them, just reassign them back to medical duties with their respective military service. Realistically, Congress would have to repeal the Act passed in 1928 that created the position of “White House Physician.”

As the CinC, the President does get his medical care above routine matters at a military medical facility, typically Walter Reed or Bethesda.

I understand your point, but Obama is not eligible for VA medical as he is not a veteran. He would be ineligible for military service due to his admitted use of drugs. Frequent marijuana use and occasional cocaine use would disqualify him. Pretty sad that the CinC of our military has a past that would disqualify him for military service.

The frequent drug use would also disqualify him for any security clearance. Unfortunately, election as President bypasses the requirement for a security clearance. Maybe we should pass a law that in order to be elected to any national political office (President, Vice-President, Senator, or Representative) or be appointed to any position requiring Congressional approval, the individual would be required to pass a NAC (National Agency Check). That would effectively disqualify most Democrats from running for political office or serving in any Administration. :-)

Interestingly enough, my CPA brother in law who had been the top financial officer at a hospital for over twenty years, was fired by a new CEO when he refused to cook the books so the CEO could receive a huge bonus. Dave got fired, new CPA cooked the books, CEO got his bonus and lived happily ever after.

I would point out this amount is for seven locations. So far, we know the wait times were faked at at least 27 VA facilities. Those others got bonuses, too.

They faked the numbers to feign improvement, then collected huge bonuses for years based on their phony reports. That’s criminal fraud in every state in the union.

And in most states and federal jurisdiction, any death which occurs during the commission of a felony, even if unintentional, is felony murder (second degree murder).

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

These people do not need to “only” be fired. They need to be jailed, and their ill-gotten gains confiscated from their estates or pensions.

AND this scheme did not hatch independently at 27+ locations, it was suggested from Washington. Not Shinseki, he is not that “hands on” type of guy. Look for a political appointee, maybe not an Under Secretary, but someone high enough to have regular contact with the various regions.

I’m just a small-town lawyer, but I bet you give me 15 minutes with the U.S. Code and I’ll find you several appropriate crimes to charge these guys with. And as someone said above, what in the wide, wide world of sports is the federal government giving bonuses to highly paid bureaucrats?

Socialized medicine has been proven beyond a doubt to be harmful to your health. Just ask the families of the deceased Vets who were put to death by attrition for the crime of honorably serving our country.
Not that I’m surprised by all this. After all, the people who are in charge of the VA today are the same people who lined up to scream at and spit on our Veterans in the past. Their hatred of the military is legendary and it shows.

I’m just a small-town lawyer, but I bet you give me 15 minutes with the U.S. Code and I’ll find you several appropriate crimes to charge these guys with. And as someone said above, what in the wide, wide world of sports is the federal government giving bonuses to highly paid bureaucrats?

AcidReflux on May 23, 2014 at 2:06 PM

Why, when those bureaucrats who earn on the average as much in salary and benefits as Microsoft permanent employees come through and actually do their jobs, the bonus money flows. It’s in all departments, and part of its intent is to hide the real compensation of federal workers, which is obscene.

Obama “froze” bonuses for political appointees in 2010, but his order only affected 2900 people who had received under $2 million in bonuses the previous year, and it is not clear how it was enforced. Note that IRS, for example, paid bonuses even when under the “sequester,” which was supposed to be devastating.

What? They were just doing what their employer wanted them to do – of course they deserved bonuses.

Midas on May 23, 2014 at 12:42 PM

I see you’re channeling coolrepublica here.

However, the employer stated (for public consumption) that he wanted wait times reduced, which (in general) means he wanted staff to develop a procedure for actually doing that, and bonuses would reflect so doing,
The “error” that Shinseki (and by extension his boss (ahem)) made was in assuming that the underlings would develop legitimate effective procedures, when any manager with any experience of bureaucracy would know that gaming would take precedence over actual reform, and would keep watch to make sure that didn’t happen.
Which neither of them did.

this is pretty much meaningless without knowing the bonuses payed under bush and his three va secretaries.

ThisIsYourBrainOnKoch on May 23, 2014 at 12:47 PM

TIYBOK (may I call you that? we’re kind of informal here at HA) actually has sort of a point. The bonuses might not be outrageously out of line with prior rewards for abysmal performance masked to look like brilliance, and in fact previous experience might be what led the fraudsters to cook the books so they wouldn’t lose out this year.

However, that there might have been (probably were) bonuses under Bush (and Clinton, Bush I, Reagan, Carter, etc) doesn’t excuse the fraud; it just makes the system look even worse.

Maybe they haven’t thought of it yet; takes time to get the Journolist to decide on talking points and make up the research.

Why should ANYONE working for government get bonuses, EVER?

The only bonuses I could even fathom being legitimate would be for saving money, for coming in under budget, and the bonus would be a portion of the money saved.

ConstantineXI on May 23, 2014 at 12:54 PM

Our resident Tax Expert gave a good explanation of that in re processing annual returns, but that’s about the only situation that seems “deserving”.

All these big corporations put profit over people!

swamp_yankee on May 23, 2014 at 1:13 PM

lol

The terrorists at Gitmo are treated better than the VA patients under obama.

The terrorists are 1.5 to one doctor nor, no kidding. Used to be 5 to one doctor under GWB. They have zero waiting lists now.

Schadenfreude on May 23, 2014 at 12:55 PM

Well, DHS has indicated that they fear veterans to be potential terrorists, so maybe that would induce them to make reforms.

The frequent drug use would also disqualify him for any security clearance. Unfortunately, election as President bypasses the requirement for a security clearance. Maybe we should pass a law that in order to be elected to any national political office (President, Vice-President, Senator, or Representative) or be appointed to any position requiring Congressional approval, the individual would be required to pass a NAC (National Agency Check). That would effectively disqualify most Democrats from running for political office or serving in any Administration. :-)

GAlpha10 on May 23, 2014 at 1:27 PM

The politicians would game the requirements so only current incumbents and their anointed successors would “pass”.

Theft via fraud. FBI needs to investigate, DOJ needs to prosecute. Will either happen? Not with this regime, but in general, the federal statute of limitations is five years, so a future administration could prosecute.

rbj on May 23, 2014 at 12:47 PM

If we leave this in the hands of the feds, nothing will ever be done about it and no one will pay for what they’ve done here.

Besides, we don’t need the feds. These people, every last one of them, died in the states. This is homicide, one way or the other. Start handcuffing federal employees and prosecuting them. Now.

this is pretty much meaningless without knowing the bonuses payed under bush and his three va secretaries.

ThisIsYourBrainOnKoch on May 23, 2014 at 12:47 PM

If there was one single example of one single vet dying under the same circumstances during the Bush years, we’d already know about it. In fact, we’d know nothing else as that’s all we’d be hearing about.

And you know it.

But even if there are such deaths, referring to this as meaningless shows what an absolute POS you are.

Before socialism turned civil servants into gods, the appropriate punishment for government scum who abused and killed veterans, would have been execution. WE HAVE NO ENEMIES ON EARTH AS BAD AS THESE BAGS OF MANURE.